❋ Niko ❋
—Jaiharan Subcontinent / The Snow Colonies / Prince Street—
“Why do these Ercanians hate each other?”
-Earthking Fernando, Jaiharan Liberation War 1919
I grabbed my brother’s body, pulled it over mine, and dragged him to the infirmary that night. He’d been beaten in a mere minute, all for what? Because I couldn’t run as fast as them? Because I wasn’t born a few years later like him? Nick and I were twins, just not born at the same time: we enjoyed school, helped around the house, and never caused any trouble. We’d read the same books and argue about what they really meant. We’d learn the same thing and explain it differently to each other. We volunteered to go to Jaihara and convinced our parents for different reasons. Mine was to make a name for myself, to see the world while doing it.
I’d hated the snowy streets of Winterium as if the only season was Blightfall and the skies always cast gray. Lanterns lit the road night and day for how dark it was. Hail at least every other week, never letting me play outside to build a snowman. Those shards of ice would fall like daggers from the sky. That’s what they used. Those bullies. Ice daggers. Was it the bullies or the hail that kept me inside all the time? I think it was both. Hours—days cooped up inside, next to the fireplace. Sure, it gave me time to read my favorite books, but what I wanted the most out of anything in the world was to experience what was written. To see what a desert was, where snow melted away into small oases. To leave Ercania and hear the sounds, to see the beauty, to experience the life of other places far beyond the iced sea.
It’s why I came to Jaihara.
“We’re here,” said the Winterite captain. Dressed in light blue with a sparkling white cap. He met me in my cabin. “No raids this trip, luckily.”
“Sure was, thank you.” I shook his hand and asked, “You said we were landing at Mystral City?”
“Ender’s Port,” he corrected. “Yes, well, an extension of Mystral…” he trailed, “ah… barely call it a port, but yes. Come, come.” I walked with the captain, just a briefcase in hand, as the lukewarm air grazed my neck and messed with my brown hair. Our ship, a small convoy vessel, had been trailed by a few military frigates that docked with us in the neighboring ports. Odd—the sea here wasn’t ice, either.
The captain took me to the bow of the ship, its large hull pointing like a long nose over the concrete landscape. I looked over the sharp triangle-shaped railing, getting a good look at the ground. What in the world? Ender’s Port was so… different. Misshaped docks and warehouses scraped together with whatever resources were lying around; the road, a patchwork of grass, dirt, gravel, concrete, clay, and brick, like they just hastily put this whole port together. The buildings scaled the mountainside with a steep incline, appearing to lean toward me like popped-out origami. Behind them, a long stone wall hugged the mountain to—hopefully—prevent avalanches as the upslope reached many meters above. I’ve never seen mountains like those. So steep and tall. I peered down, watching people run to and from ships, loading and unloading like their lives depended on it. The shouting of other captains, soldiers, and builders rang across the bustling dock.
“Ender’s Port,” I repeated. “This place is…”
“The worst port I’ve been to,” the captain chuckled. “Look at them.” He pointed to a construction crew repairing a side of the dock where a ship had crashed, slicing a whole column of stone. “Story goes that Ender’s Port was built in one month by six lords, one hundred regulars, and the stone from Katsir.”
“One month?”
“You move fast when the whole continent is at stake, I guess,” the captain shrugged and gave me a playful smile. “These Jaiharans sure know how to work.”
“One month is ridiculous. That has to be a myth.”
“It’s what they all say.” The captain motioned his hand toward the ship’s exit. “So, which part are you headed to, Lord Niko?”
“The Marshlands.”
“What? Which…” the captain trailed. “Lord Niko.” He breathed in, then out. With a swift motion toward the road, he said, “Head north until you see the sign. But I…” He paused for a moment. “As a fellow Winterite, I must warn—”
“I’ve been warned already. Thank you.”